1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to portable signs, and in particular, to portable folding signs typically used on a temporary basis. The present invention also pertains to the temporary mounting of devices other than signs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Signs are used for a wide variety of applications, both indoors and outdoors. One application, for example, is to post a temporary warning or alert notice adjacent a construction site or roadside work location. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, signs intended for outdoor use must be carefully designed to accommodate wind loadings which can be quite substantial, especially for larger sign panels, 48 inches or larger. In order to be commercially attractive, the sign should be capable of set-up by a single worker, even in a wide variety of weather and climate conditions. For example, a sign should be capable of ready assembly even in cold conditions which reduce manual dexterity, or in applications where gloves and other hand protection must be worn. It is important in temporary applications that a sign be reusable, storable in a compact space and readily erected on demand. In particular, it is important that the sign be easily displayed at the beginning of a work session without elaborate preparations, and thereafter stowed away when the warning or alert is no longer needed. One such sign which has met with widespread commercial acceptance is that employing a foldable sign panel, available from Dicke Tool Company, assignee of the present invention, as Part No. 3000. The sign panel is made of fabric and can thereby be rolled up for compact storage, thus making the maximum use of limited space available on a construction vehicle. Thus, it is possible to carry a number of frequently used sign panels on the construction vehicle at all times, thus allowing greater flexibility in scheduling the work assignments of a particular vehicle. The sign panel includes a pair of fiber glass ribs which are overlapped and pinned at their centers so as to provide a "scissors action" when assembling or disassembling the sign. The mounting base used with the sign is of a type similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,232 assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
The components of a sign should be versatile, interchangeable with other signs of a similar type, and ideally new sign systems should accommodate existing sign components whenever possible. If modification to the existing sign components is necessary for use with a new sign system, the modifications should be as simple to perform as possible.